


The Alpha Timeline

by timaeustestifiedsilence



Series: Homestuck Shorts [6]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Character Death, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-20
Updated: 2015-07-20
Packaged: 2018-04-10 07:41:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4383158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timaeustestifiedsilence/pseuds/timaeustestifiedsilence
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Who's to say which timeline is the alpha timeline?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Alpha Timeline

> 2020, post SBURB
> 
> It had been five years since the mess of SBURB. A lot had died on the way, but in the end, the beta and alpha kids all survived and mended their relationships. They were still adjusting to the real, normal world, where there was no magic, no trolls, no cherubs, no god tier powers, no immortality. But they were coping.
> 
> * * *
> 
> It was time for Comicon in San Diego. Everyone was going except Dave, who was staying in Houston in the apartment with Dirk because he was sick. Dirk promised to bring back some video games, and John just said, “You just wait and see,”.
> 
> The whole squad snapchatted him the whole first day, ranging from frustrated pictures of long lines to pictures of cool panels and cosplay to pictures of food and merch. It was nice. It was like he was there with them.
> 
> Jane came to see Dave the next day. ‘Comicon wasn’t really my thing,’ she said, and she was worried that he wasn’t getting enough to eat. She stocked the fridge and made plenty of soup and ice cream sundaes. When he seemed healthy enough to take care of himself, Jane squished him in a hug and left to the airport to catch a flight back home.
> 
> * * *
> 
> On the last day of Comicon, a storm was raging. The outdoor photoshoots and events were cancelled, and most people stared out the windows glumly. The winds were a force to be reckoned with, gusts so strong that flights had to be grounded (although the wind was nothing compared to what John had been capable of).
> 
> Dirk called Dave.
> 
> “Hey. How’s it going?”  
>   
> Dave’s face lit up at hearing his brother’s voice. “Pretty good. Jane stopped by a few days ago and babied me and I’m feeling a lot better. We’ve been having some pretty crap weather here in Houston, though. Rain and wind and never ending clouds.”
> 
> “Really? Same here. I don’t know if we’ll be able to catch our flight tomorrow - it’s so windy that flights all over have been grounded.”
> 
> Dave shook his head and glared at the sky. “That sucks balls, man. Hey, did Jake find anybody cosplaying those blue people?”
> 
> “Yeah. He was ecstatic, bouncing up and down like a little kid. A Neytiri cosplayer smeared a little bit of her blue body paint underneath his eyes and he about fainted.”
> 
> They shared a chuckle. “That’s great. Anyways, I’ll see you later. Stay safe, alright?”
> 
> “I will, you too,” pause, “love you, bro.”
> 
> Another smile. “Love you too, Dirk.” Dave hung up and sighed. The sky was getting darker and darker, darker than someone gone Grimdark. It looked like a serious storm was brewing.
> 
> * * *
> 
> A few hours later, it had started to thunderstorm. There were more and more lightning strikes every few minutes, some even striking the lightning rid of Dave and Dirk’s apartment building. Dave eyed the yellowing sky nervously and kept the weather channel on constantly.
> 
> Everything was fine, really. Dave thought he felt some rumbling, but he brushed it off as just a passing truck. After a while, the storm started subsiding, and eventually stopped altogether. Dave went out on the balcony to get a good view of the city (seeing as his and Dirk’s apartment was near the top of the building). The city was calm. The clouds weren’t subsiding, though.
> 
> Then the power went out. Dave whipped around, suspicious. There was no lightning to strike anything, and even when there was, nothing had happened. He turned his attention back to the city below him and noticed that all of the buildings that were lit up had gone dark, too.
> 
> That was when he really noticed how calm it was. It was _too_  calm, really. The crows that usually frequented his balcony were no where to be found, and the usual bustling traffic was nonexistent. There were no people on the sidewalks. Dave noticed people in the apartment building across from him bringing the stuff on their balconies into their apartments. He thought it odd, and checked the weather on his phone.
> 
> It said nothing more than ‘Extreme Weather Alert’, but he didn’t trust it. Suddenly he felt that rumbling again, but stronger. It was like a freight train, a herd of stampeding bulls, the shock wave from an explosion. Dave leaned over the balcony railing and saw the source. A tornado.
> 
> Too late, the tornado sirens came on. His phone refreshed and said ' **TORNADO WARNING** ’. The Sunny Apartments building had no basement, so the next best thing was the first floor. As he ran to the emergency stairs, he called Dirk.
> 
> Ring. Ring. Ring. “Hey, what’s up?”
> 
> Dave was in full panic mode, a mode that had never really been seen before. “There’s a tornado and I didn’t know because there were no sirens until just now and I don’t think I can make it to the first floor … Oh Gog I’m gonna die. I mean I know I’ve died before I’ve died so many times I’ve lost count but now I know I can’t come back and I’m just - so - scared and -” he blubbered, pride replaced by tears.
> 
> Dirk’s heart sunk all the way to Hell. “How close is it?”  
>   
> “It’s right here! It’s right on me! I’ve only gotten down three floors oh Gog …”
> 
> “Dave, listen to me. You’re not going to make it down, so just sit in a corner of the stairway, face the corner and put your hands on your head. It’ll be okay, our apartment building is strong, just hold o-” the call was cut off and replaced with the long, monotonous beep, like the flatline beep you hear when your loved ones heart has beat its last. Dave stared at his phone, shaking. He sank into a corner and held himself, praying to a God he didn’t believe in to please save him. The sound of glass windows shattering and the whole building shaking only caused him to curl up tighter.
> 
> On the other side of the call, Dirk stood shocked before throwing his phone down and kicking a trash bin. The others came running over.
> 
> “Dirk, what’s wrong? What happened?” Roxy cried, grabbing onto Dirk’s arm. He pushed her away and put his head in his hands.
> 
> “Son of a … _DAMMIT_! This is all my fault, it’s all my fault.”
> 
> “What??”
> 
> Dirk’s head shot up and he glared at Roxy. “Dave is caught up in a tornado and he’s stuck in the stairway, that’s what. It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t gotten sick I wouldn’t have passed it to him and he would be here with us and he’d be fine!” Dirk stormed out of the con building towards the parking lot. “I’m getting an Über, catching a flight, and getting to Dave. Are you guys coming or not?”
> 
> They looked at each other hesitantly.
> 
> “Dirk, I … look, it’s really not safe! We should at least wait out the storm!” Jake stammered.
> 
> “Yeah? And he’ll be dead by then!”
> 
> “Well you’ll be no use to him if you’re dead!” Jake snapped. “You’re supposed to be the one who’s cool, collected, and smart, so act like it!”
> 
> Dirk stopped, surprised. Jake blushed, part embarrassed, part angry.
> 
> “Jake’s right, Dirk.” John said gently. “Dave’s stronger than you think.”
> 
> It was hard to convince him, but finally, Dirk calmed down a bit and came back inside. He and the others spent the rest of the day glued to the TV, watching the weather channel.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Dirk didn’t sleep. He paced the hotel room nearly all night. By 5 a.m. everyone was awake and packed. By 5:30 a.m. they were at the airport. By 6 a.m. they were on the first flight back to Houston.
> 
> * * *
> 
> The city was in absolute ruins. Not only had the F4 tornado destroyed half the city, the lightning that came after lit several former buildings on fire.
> 
> The plane was forced to land in the airport in the next city, and they had to walk to get to Houston.
> 
> The tornado had caused the Sunny Apartments building to topple, only the first three floors completely surviving. It fell south, meaning Dave and Dirk’s apartment was not crushed.
> 
> When they got close enough, Dirk dropped his things and ran over to the building, managing to climb the debri, all the while screaming for Dave. Jake and John followed suit as Roxy, Rose, and Jade tried to too.
> 
> Eventually, they managed to find the apartment. The bright red and orange chairs from the balcony were like a beacon of hope amidst the dull grey ruins.
> 
> “Someone? Hello … a little help here?” Cried a weak voice. Dirk nearly flew over to it. It was Dave.   
>   
> “Dirk!” Dave exclaimed, eyes lighting up. Dirk sank to his knees next to his brother, unbelieving.
> 
> “What … happened?”
> 
> Dave weakly shrugged, wincing. “I dunno, really. It all happened pretty quick. The tornado was like a big vacuum. It sucked me out of the stairway and out a window. I remember getting tossed around a bit, and then falling. With my luck I managed to land on a freaking mattress - thanks Vriska. And then this thing came out of no where and went right through me.” Dave gestured to the large metal pole that was impaled through his abdomen and the mattress underneath him as well as the rubble below it. “Is it just me or does it look like an especially shitty sword?” He said jokingly.
> 
> Dirk nodded weakly. “How long have you been like this?”
> 
> Dave thought for a moment. “Since the tornado hit, so probably 12 hours.” Dirk choked. He tried pulling the pole out. “No, stop. It’s no use.” Dirk shook his head and kept trying.
> 
> “I waited … my whole life to meet you. I grew up alone with only stories of what my version of you was like. When we finally met, I was so happy. You told me how older me was terrible to you. I’ve recognised that and I haven’t stopped trying to make up for it, and recently, it’s felt like maybe things were perfect between us. We were getting better, things were as back to normal as they could be … and now this. You’re the best brother I could’ve ever hoped for, and I love you more than anyone else. Dave Strider … I am /not/ ready to give up on you now.”
> 
> It went silent. Silent - sirens in the distance, the wind through the rubble, Dirk’s shuddering breaths, Dave’s laboured wheezes. Rose and Roxy silently crying for their brother. Eventually Dirk gave up on the pole and collapsed next to Dave.
> 
> “I’ve led a good enough life, even if it was short. I’ve met people who’ve made it worth living, and done things that made it less boring. I’ve had enough experiences to last me hundreds of years. I’m happy, Dirk. I’m fine. Thank you. Thank all of you. And Jane, tell her I said thanks. And to all of the trolls that are out there somewhere in space, thanks to them too. Especially Karkat, my favourite butthead. And,” he said, removing his shades to look at Dirk in the eyes, who had also removed his shades, “you know they always say the greatest people die the youngest.” A cocky smirk, a wink. “I’ll see you in a dreambubble. How’s every other night sound?”
> 
> Dirk grinned through his tears. “That sounds great. Are the others invited?”
> 
> “Of course!”
> 
> Everyone smiled. Rose, Roxy, and Jade planted kisses on Dave’s cheeks. Jake and John saluted him before giving him an awkward hug. Dirk shook his hand. They knew he was dying, with no hope of pulling through. They’d all seen one of his dead selves at some point. But this time they knew it was final. Time had finally run out on the one who had manipulated it. This was the end of the best Dave, the coolest Dave, their Dave. They would miss him, but deep in their minds and hearts, they all knew they’d see him again, SBURB granted powers or not.
> 
> “Hosta la vista, cool kids,” Dave said, and with his last breath - “for all we know, this might not have been the alpha timeline.”
> 
>  

 

**Author's Note:**

> This was also posted to my tumblr - http://timaeustestifiedsilence.tumblr.com/post/124511898885/the-alpha-timeline   
> Please consider reblogging it to get it more notes. Thanks!


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